Cultivator.



Patentad Nov. '27, |900. G. L. BRADLEY.

C U LT I V A T 0 R. (Appuca'tion med :una so, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(Il o Model.)

uz' Noms Farms co. pHnTo-Lrmo.. wAsmNmo No. 662,665. Patented Nov. 27, i900.

G. L. BRADLEY.

I CULTIVATUB.

(Appncstion med :una so, 1900.;

(lo Nudel.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

GEORGE LOVTI-IER BRADLEY, OF PATAI-IA CITY, VASHINGTON.

CULTIVTGR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,665, dated November 27, 1900.

Application tiled June 30, 1900.

To all whom t nung concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE LOWTHER BRADLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pataha City, in the county of Gariield and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Cultivator, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved cultivator especially adapted for operating in fallow ground to clear the same of Weeds and put it in condition for planting; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combina tion of devices hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the'accompanying drawings, Figure lis a top plan view of a cultivator embodying my improvements, showing the same provided with broadcast-seeder attachment. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 8 is aseotional view taken on the line d a of Fig. l. Fig. 4: is a detail perspective view of one of the cultivators.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide a frame l, whichis preferably rectangular in shape and is provided with a series of two or more transversely-disposed bars 2, which connect the side bars 3. A series of cultivators for operating in the soil are attached to frame l, and I will now describe one of the said cultivators, the same being shown in detail in Fig. t and in connection with the frame l in Figs. l and 2.

The beam 4 is disposed longitudinally and adapted to be bolted under certain of the cross-bars 2, as at 5. The front end of the beam is provided with a downturned curved arm 6. The standard 7 is curved as shown and comprises a flat bar. The same is bolted on the front side of the arm 6, as at 8, at a point about intermediate of its height, where by an extension 9 is formed at the upper end of the standard above the beam 4. The lower end of the standard is turned rearwardly on a horizontal line to form an arm l0. A point ll, which corresponds in shape with the standard 7, is secured on the front side thereof by means of bolts, as at l2, the said point projecting in advance of the bottom of the standard. A V-shaped cutter 13, having the obliquely-disposed wings or arms let, is bolted at its apex to the under side of the arm l0, as at l5.

.Serial No. 22,214. (No model.)

the said openings being disposed in line withV each other, and in the same are tted surface breakers 17, each of which is a fiat steel bar of suitable length bent substantially in the form of a triangle and secured at its apeXin one of the openings 16, the upper arm 18 thereof projecting above the surface of the soil at its rear end and the lower arm 19 being disposed in a horizontal plane under the arm or wing lt,to which it is attached. It will be understood that the points ll and the soilbreakers 17 by breaking the surface of the soil will throw furrows which will cause the weeds cut by the arms or wings of the cultivators to be brought to the surface and exterminated. The arm 9, which formsa vertical extension of the upper end of the standard 7, by projecting above the beam a prevents the weeds from clogging the eultivator. In connection with each ot' the cultivators l propose under certain conditions to employa revolving` cutter, which coacts with one side of the standard 7 to cut such weeds as lodge against the face of the standard and prevent them from clogging the same. As shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the cultivators 13 are so disposed under the frame l and with relation to each other that the arms or wings of the respective cultivators overlap, so that the soil is thoroughly stirred and cleared of the weeds growing therein.

The frame l should be provided with means to support the same when in operation, so that the cultivators may be caused to operate at the required depth below the surface of the soil. In the drawings I have shown casterwheels 20, which support the front corners of the frame, and a caster-wheel 2l, which supports the rear side of the frame and is disposed in the center thereof. The frames of the caster-wheels are provided with vertical shaft-arms 22, which operate in bearings 23, bolted to the frame l, and said frames are adjustable vertically by any suitable means. Levers 24C, which are mounted on standards The said cutter has its front edges 1 25 on the sides of frame l, have their front IOO ends forked and engage the vertical arms 22 of the frames of caster-wheels 20. Said levers are operated by hand-levers 26, which are connected thereto by links 27, and hence the caster-wheels at the front end of the frame l may be raised or lowered to adjust said frame as may be required. A suitable lever, as at 21, is employed to vertically adjust the caster-wheel 21 at the rear side of the frame. When the eultivator is to be driven by an operator stationed thereon, I provide a seat 28 for the driver which is mounted on the upper end of the vertically-extending arm 22 of the frame of the rearv caster-Wheel 21. `When the eultivator is to be employed on hilly and uneven ground, the caster-wheel 21 is detached from the frame and a shaft 29, which is movable in vertical bearings 30 and provided at its end with supporting-wheels 31,(indicated in dotted lines in 1,) is employed in lieu of the caster-wheel 21.

Clevises 32 are bolted to the sides of the frame 1 at the front corners thereof and have depending vertical arms 33, provided with a series of openings 34. The hitch-bar 35 is provided at its ends with rearward-extending links or hooks 36'to attach the same to the depending arms of the clevises by engagement with appropriate openings 34. A slide-bar 37 is disposed on the front side of the hitchbar and on the same is a sliding eyepiece adapted for the attachment of the doubletree to which the team is harnessed in the usual manner. It will be understood from the foregoing and by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings that the hitch-bar may be lowered as may be required to dispose the same directly in the line of draft, and thereby lighten the labor of the team as much as is possible.

The frame 1 may be of any suitable size and provided with any suitable number'of the eultivators.

there my i m proved eultivator is to be used on large areas, it is desirable to employ a n umber of sections thereof in conjunction, disposed side by side, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Hy improved eultivator is also adapted to operate in conj'uction with seeding mechanism whereby the operations of preparing the soiland seeding the same may be performed simultaneously. In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings I have shown broadcast-seeding apparatus in connection with my eultivator, which I will now describe. The seeding apparatus may be of any of the well-known forms and constitutes in itself no part of my present improvement. The hopper'or seedbox 39 is disposed transversely on the front side of frame 1, and the shaft 40 of the seed mechanism is provided at one end with a sprocket-wheel 41. A curved standard 42, which has a curved guideway 43, is bolted to the under sidev of frame 1 on one side thereof, and in the said guideway is an adjustable bearing-block 44, in which the shaft 45 of a traction-Wheel 46 is j ournaled. A sprocket-wheel 47, which rotates with the traction-wheel, is secured on the shaft 45 and connected to the sprocketwheel 41 by an endless sprocket-chain 43. A spur-wheel 49 also rotates with the tractionwheel and engages the spur-wheel 50 on a shaft 51, which is journaled in suitable bearings 52 on the sides ol frame l. rPhe said shaft 51 is provided With a suitable number of revolving cutters 53 to operate in connection with the standards of the eultivators for the purpose of cut-ting the stalks of such weeds as fall upon the standard, as hereinbefore described. A similar shaft 54 is disposed in rear of shaft 51 and mounted in bearings 55 and provided with a suitable number of revolving cutters to operate in connection with the standards of the cultivators disposed toward the rear of frame 1. As many of the shafts 54 will be employed as is required by the size of frame 1. The shafts 51 54 are connected operatively by sprocket-wheels 55 and an endless sprocket-chain 56, whereby power is communicated from shaft 51 tothe shaft 54. The curved standard 42 adapts the tractionwheel 46 to be adjusted vertically to correspond with the adjustment of the frame 1. It will be understood that by means of the vertically-adjustable casterwheels which serve to support the frame 1 the latter may be raised to such an extent as to entirely withdraw the eultivators 13 from the soil and support the same above the ground when the machine is driven from one point to another.

A suitable drilling mechanism may be employed in lieu of the broadcast seeder hereinbefore referred to if it be desirable to sow the seeds in drills.

By so constructing and arranging the means for rotating the revolving cutters 53 as to reverse the direction of the rotation thereof the said cutters serve to push the weeds across the front of the standards, so that they pass under the frame and have their roots cut and brought to the surface by the cutters 13 and surface-breakers 17 and exposed to the sun, which in drying the roots elfectually kills the weeds, as will be understood.

The standard 7 may be provided with suitable braces, if the same are required. The cutters 13 may be each formed either of a single piece or two pieces bolted or otherwise secured together to form the apex of the triangle. The sliding eyepiece 33 is provided with suitable means, whereby it may be secured at any adjustment required. The vertical arms 33 of the clevises 32 are braced by suitable crossed bars or chains 32, which strengthen the said `arms and adapt the same to withstand side draft when the machine is turned.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A eultivator comprising a standard having a point the horizontally-disposed rearward-diverging cutting wings or arms at the base of the standard, and the surface-breakers projecting upward from said cutting wings or arms, substantially as described.

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2. A eultivzttor comprising.Y ebezim, n standard having` :L point and the horizontally-(iisposed rearWard-diverging Wi ngs or arms at the base of the standard, the latter having a vertical extension projeetim.r above the beam to which it is attached to prevent weeds from clogging the cnltivator, substantially as described. e

8. The combination ofa frame and support ing-Wheels therefor, a series of eultivators each comprising e standard having a point and a pair of rearward-diverging Cutting ztrms or Wings at the base of the standard 'for the purpose set forth, shafts, means to rotate the same, and revoluble cutters coaeting with the 

